


Surprise, Surprise

by Meiri



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Egypt, F/M, Traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:33:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21875956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meiri/pseuds/Meiri
Summary: Hermione planned to spend Christmas alone, indulging in the nostalgia of the season. Someone has something even better in mind.My prompt was: Hermione/Bill, Egypt, andA Christmas Carol<\i>.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Bill Weasley
Comments: 8
Kudos: 59
Collections: Hermione's Holiday Hideaway 2019





	Surprise, Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the moderators for running another fantastic Holiday fest. This is one of my favourites. And now I can reward myself for finishing my own story by reading all the ones I haven't let myself while I was meant to be writing. ;)
> 
> Special thanks to my beta, K, for helping me put my best foot forward.

_ Friday, 24 Dec 2004 _

_ Alexandria, Egypt _

"Well, I'm off. Last chance to join me in France for Christmas."

Hermione Granger looked up from her desk in the Ancient Cultures offices at the Great Library of Alexandria. She was in the middle of clearing her paperwork before she left for the weekend. Her research partner, Noelle Le Blanc, was just capping her inkwell. 

"Just imagine, Hermione. Beaches,  _ pain d'epices _ , markets in Nice, skiing if you want. It will be glorious. And my friend Ja--"

Shaking her head, Hermione interrupted, "No, thank you. No more blind dates in foreign countries for me! I've learned my lesson thanks to our helpful colleagues in the Antiquities Division." She pushed her chair back from her desk, stretching as she did so. "In any case, I already made plans."

"Meeting your mysterious  _ friend _ ?"

Hermione huffed, mentally kicking herself again. She'd let slip a few weeks ago that she knew a curse-breaker who used to live in Egypt who'd offered to come see her sometime and take her on a tour of the sites. Ever since, Noelle would occasionally tease her about this friend and speculate about what he was like.

"You're a menace," Hermione declared with a chuckle. "No, I thought I'd honour some family traditions tonight. I finally got a computer, and the appropriate runic arrays set up so I can use it. I'll be able to Skype some friends back home tomorrow and Sunday."

"Well, as long as you're happy with your plans, I'll be happy you get to spend Christmas the way you want to. See you after New Year's," Noelle said before leaving the office to collect her luggage before her portkey left.

Hermione smiled. She knew her colleagues--Noelle especially--thought she was mental not to take some vacation time in December to go back to England for Christmas. But she wanted to save up as much time as possible to go back home after her godchild was born in the spring.

~*~*~

Walking home from work less than thirty minutes later, Hermione was struck again by the unexpected sight of fully decorated Christmas trees--pines and firs--amidst the native palms. Even the lights and ornaments were not too different from what her family put on their own tree when she was younger. Despite the warm temperatures and occasional rain, it felt familiar.

Since Egypt didn't celebrate Christmas Day until January 7, the shops were still running their regular hours. Noticing that the grocer she preferred was open, Hermione stopped in to pick up a few items to get her through the weekend. The shop had an international section, so she was able to pick up a few familiar Christmas treats, too.

Less than an hour after leaving work, Hermione was standing outside the door to her flat. Shifting the bag she was carrying in her right hand to her left; she fished her keys from her purse. Before she could put the key in the lock, the door opened.

"Hey, love!" 

Hermione stared as Bill Weasley relieved her of her shopping and grasped her hand in his. Her mind was whirling as she tried to remember whether he'd said anything that she should have taken to mean she'd see him soon. Without noticing how it happened, she was inside. The click of the door latching and the deadbolt snapping into place dragged her from her thoughts, and the aroma of Bill's cologne centred her focus on him.

"I thought you were spending Christmas at the Burrow?" 

Bill shook his head and dropped a kiss to her forehead before he turned and went into her small kitchen. "I decided that I'd much rather spend Christmas with you."

"Not that I'm complaining," she began as she slipped off her pumps before following him into the kitchen, "but what happened?". 

"Nothing happened, really," he told her as he closed the cupboard into which he'd unloaded a few dry goods. "I just missed you. And mum was being mum… well, you can imagine the rest."

Hermione stepped closer to Bill, wrapping her arms around his waist. When Molly thought she was right about something--the impropriety of divorce, for example--she had all the subtlety of a cactus to the face.

"And of course the full moon is on Sunday," she said, pulling back to glance at the calendar. "That can't have helped."

Bill laughed before lifting her to sit on the counter. Raising his hand to caress her cheek, he looked into her eyes. "I may have lost my temper and told her about us."

"Oh my." Hermione's eyes widened as she pictured the reactions of various Weasleys.

"Hey, it wasn't so bad," he told her. "Dad had already figured it out, so he calmed her down. And it helped that you'd already told Ron. With him being happy for us, it really took the wind out of her sails."

Hermione let out a breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding and smiled. "Sounds like it went better than we expected." 

"Yeah, I was surprised," Bill agreed before leaning in and stealing a kiss. "So, what were you planning to do for Christmas Eve before I showed up?"

"Well, after dinner, I was going to watch my dad's favourite Christmas movie," she told him. "You've seen it at Harry's, I think. The one with Ebenezer Scrooge?"

Bill's eyebrows drew together while he was thinking. "You mean the rich miser who needs a ghostly intervention to learn compassion?"

"That's the one. I figure I'd probably have fallen asleep by the end and had a Twiglets-fueled dream. It would have been something bizarre like Nearly Headless Nick taking me on my own spectral Christmas tour."

Bill just stared at her as she laughed. "What are Twiglets? Some sort of drug?"

"No!" Hermione gasped, struggling to get her laughter under control. "Merlin! Twiglets are a savoury snack food. I have some. You can try them later if you like."

Bill cocked an eyebrow. "I don't know, love. They sound like hallucinogens."

"Well, they aren't." Hermione pouted at him. 

Bill laughed and shook his head. "Maybe later. I don't want to spoil my dinner."

"Speaking of," Hermione trailed off and looked at the clock on her kitchen wall, "I suppose we should get something started if we want to eat at a reasonable time."

"Actually, dinner's ready and waiting under a stasis charm." He stepped back and helped her down from her perch on the counter before leading her into the lounge.

As they entered the room, the lights on Hermione's Christmas tree began to glow. Her gaze dropped, and she saw a blanket spread on the floor. There were a couple of trays with a variety of finger foods laid out, and a bottle of champagne was chilling

"Champagne? What's the occasion?" 

"I got a promotion at work. I start my new role on January 10," he explained. "And that's part of what set mum off before I lost my temper."

Leaning over, she kissed his cheek. "Congratulations on your new job! Where will you be working?"

"Egypt! Mostly Cairo, but there are a few opportunities to travel. I've been wanting to come back since the divorce, but there weren't any suitable openings."

Hermione started thinking about all the things that would need to happen before January 10--Bill would need a place to live; actually, she had room in her flat--

Bill leaned in for a passionate kiss, bringing her list-making to a halt.

There would be time to plan, and maybe watch  _ A Christmas Carol _ later.


End file.
